Former Lincoln City striker Ryan Oné is the subject of a loan-to-buy offer from Rangers, although Sheffield United have reportedly rejected the opening proposal.
The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season at Sincil Bank and played an important role in City’s promotion campaign, scoring five times in 16 League One appearances as the Imps went on to win the title. His spell was the first loan move of his senior career, and he made enough of an impression to become a player plenty of City supporters would have been happy to see return this summer.
That has always looked difficult, not least because Sheffield United have been reluctant to lose him permanently. Now there is interest from north of the border, with Rangers reportedly submitting a loan-to-buy proposal for the Scotland Under-21 international.
The initial offer has been rejected by the Blades, although talks are said to be continuing over a possible deal. Rangers are now managed by Derek McInnes and have already been extremely active during the summer as they look to challenge Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title.
For Oné, it represents another interesting possibility after a campaign in which his stock undoubtedly rose. He arrived at City with relatively limited senior experience at Sheffield United but quickly showed why he was so highly rated, offering physicality, mobility and a genuine goal threat during the second half of the season.
His five goals perhaps do not tell the entire story either. Oné gave City a different option at the top end of the pitch and, at just 19 for much of his time with us, still looked like a player with considerable development ahead of him. His contribution helped him leave Sincil Bank with a League One winners’ medal, and his performances also appeared to put him firmly on the radar of clubs looking for a young striker with significant upside.
He remains a Sheffield United player and has made 19 league appearances for the Blades across his career, having originally moved to Bramall Lane from Hamilton Academical in 2023. He also has Scotland youth experience through the under-17, under-19 and under-21 age groups.
Whether Rangers eventually manage to find terms Sheffield United are willing to accept remains to be seen, but Oné’s Sincil Bank spell increasingly looks as though it did exactly what a successful loan should do. He helped City win promotion, gained meaningful senior minutes and returned to his parent club with considerably more interest around him than when he arrived.
If he does ultimately end up at Ibrox, there will certainly be plenty of City supporters keeping an eye on how he gets on.
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